EXCLUSIVE: Meghan Markle Branded Heartless and Vicious for 'Making Brutal Move Against Kate Middleton' With Her Renewed Netflix Deal

Meghan Markle has been slammed as "vicious" following the announcement of a new multi-year Netflix deal – as it will see the duchess release a holiday special this December, clashing with Princess Kate's annual Christmas carol concert.

RadarOnline.com can reveal royal expert Hugo Vickers blasted the move: "It's always said that whenever Catherine, the Princess of Wales, starts something, Meghan Markle does something else to cap it, or in some ways clash with it."

And a source told us: "This is just the type of vicious, nasty move that is coming to define Meghan."

Meghan's renewed Netflix deal, described by insiders as a "downgraded" version of her and husband Prince Harry's original $100million contract with the streamer, allows the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to produce selected film and television projects.

Markle's upcoming Christmas special is expected to directly coincide with Kate's Together At Christmas concert at Westminster Abbey.

The Princess of Wales's annual event is widely celebrated for showcasing charity work and supporting those in need.

Hugo argued the overlap highlights Markle's competitive approach.

"Obviously, the initiative of the Princess of Wales at Westminster Abbey is incredibly moving and incredibly special, and is done for the benefit of the rest of the world, for all the people who've been suffering, all the people who've helped with charities, all that sort of thing, so it's all for the public good," he said.

Hugo added: "I'm not quite convinced that Meghan Markle is going to be dissecting some more petals and scattering them over salads, or whatever she's going to be doing in California, is in quite the same league."

The announcement of the deal extension emphasized Markle's projects and mentioned Harry only as her "husband."

She said in a statement: "We're proud to extend our partnership with Netflix and expand our work together to include the As Ever brand. My husband and I feel inspired by our partners who work closely with us and our Archewell Productions team to create thoughtful content across genres that resonates globally, and celebrates our shared vision."

Hugo also suggested the new deal, while lucrative, reflects the couple's reliance on their media ventures to support a high-cost lifestyle.

"Obviously Netflix is a very hard-nosed business operation, and they won't have taken them on just out of charity, or they obviously think it's worthwhile. And of course, she does have an enormous number of followers," he said.

"The one great thing that Harry and Meghan have in their favor is that anything they do, however trivial, seems to attract a lot of publicity, which must surely be good for Netflix.

"They've got to rely on things like this because they lead such an expensive lifestyle. And they just need money coming in, because the money must be pouring out."

Newsweek's royal editor Jack Royston has also described a longstanding rivalry between the Sussexes and the Waleses.

Speaking on The Sun's Royal Exclusive show, he said: "There was 100 percent definitely a massive rivalry between the Sussexes and the Waleses dating back to when they were sharing a private office at Kensington Palace. And this sort of thing, you would absolutely cut and dry say, was a 100 percent massive rivalry."

Both Markle and Middleton recently shared images of their children's artwork on social media within the same week, with some observers interpreting the timing as deliberate.

Previously, Markle claimed in a televised interview with Oprah Winfrey that Kate had made her cry just days before her wedding, while other reports suggest Markle's own demands caused distress over Princess Charlotte's dress.